Monessen building gets endorsement
Matt Shorraw leads a group on a tour in June of downtown Monessen past a former bank building, in the background, that he wants to restore.
An old photo of the Monessen Savings & Trust Building from the collection of the Greater Monessen Historical Society
MONESSEN – Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation endorsed a blighted Monessen landmark building a local man wants to restore as a music center.
The conditional landmark distinction the foundation gave to a former bank building at Fifth Street and Donner Avenue carries a stipulation Matthew Shorraw of Monessen must restore it in order to receive a plaque from the foundation, said Frank Stroker, the foundation’s historic plaque archivist.
“It’s giving the endorsement that we think it’s important,” Stroker said of the conditional landmark status the foundation awarded to the Monessen building in late June.
The brick and stone building was constructed in 1905 for Monessen Savings & Trust Co. The architect, Marius Rousseau, used steel produced in Monessen and limestone from a quarry in nearby Webster to construct the three-story building.
It was listed in 2015 among the top 10 regional preservation opportunities selected by the Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh.
The building has been vacant since its last tenant, Health Mart, closed more than 20 years ago. Small trees are growing out of its ornate arches and balconies and nearly all of the windows are broken, allowing pigeons to take roost inside.
“Obviously, it needs to be cleaned,” said Shorraw, 25, assistant band director in Monessen School District.
He said lead and asbestos will need to be removed from the building, which otherwise appears to be structurally sound.
“It really is nerve-wracking to see that trees are growing out of the bricks,” he said.
The Beaux Arts-style building has an auditorium on the third floor where Monessen Masons once held their meetings. The stage would lend itself to Shorraw’s plan to use the building as a music school with a cafe on the ground floor, he said.
The building is owned by the city of Monessen and Shorraw wants the city to donate it to him.
Shorraw said he will be seeking donations and has set aside some of his own money toward his project.
He said he has yet to approach city council about transferring ownership of the building to him.
“They are aware of what I am trying to do with it,” he said. “They have so many properties they don’t want. Why not give me a chance to make an effort?”
Monessen Mayor Lou Mavrakis said he wants to have Monessen’s many blighted building demolished.